iotaniafandomcom-20200214-history
East Owlia
East Owlia (Lanternese: Aulia Orientale), officially the East Owlian Republic is a nation comprising the Lantern Islands and associated territories in eastern Owlia. It borders the Pálowan realm of Ei̇́sarna to the west. Names The first attested use of the name East Owlia to refer to a Lanternese state is found in the 691 constitution, the adoption of which united the Lanternese cultural sphere under one government. The country's official name in the Lanternese language is Aulia Orientale and the national minority languages all follow in the same vein with names based on that of the Owlian supercontinent: Káwoná Óisr (Cheridonian), ’Awliyā aš-Šarqiyya ''(Janubic) and ''Vzhodna Aulija (Vicce). Being a relatively late invention however, many western languages refer to the East Owlian Republic by names derived from that of the Lantern Islands. Examples of this are the name Lanterna used in Vanese texts and the Breshyu form Ⲫⲁⲛⲟⲥ (Phanos). An exception to this is in the Iotanian lingua franca where East Owlia has become the primary term. History The Lantern Islands were first settled in the late 6th century CE by colonists arriving primarily from the western region of Landing, having sailed across the Central Sea. These settlers ranged from simple farmers to merchants and industrialists seeking new riches in the unexplored east. Many were also members of the Zealot church, a repressed religious minority in the west. A trading post was successfully established on the southern tip of Gran Lanterna which would later become the city of Tridente and the first wave of colonists conducted trade with peaceful villages in their vicinity, the most notable trade link being the import of terracotta from the Janubian mesa. The Tridente colony prospered from these eastern trade links but remained a minor outpost compared to the grand cities of the western continent. And while trade flourished with the south, the Lantern Islands grew increasingly isolated from the western cultural sphere, having only minimal contact with the old homeland through Pálowan islanders in the Central Sea. Other colonies were founded during this time in what would later become the outer regions of East Owlia, most notably Streghetta in the east and later Elitre in the west. Lanternese merchants amassed a great deal of wealth under a colonial government too weak and disorganized to implement regulations let alone defend itself, and this political situation left the colony vulnerable to attack. In 661, the Lantern Islands were invaded by the Sea Peoples whose ethnic and geographic origins remain a mystery to this day. Their commander Illa instituted what has gone down in the history books as the reign of terror, which saw merchant landowners evicted from their estates and Zealot places of worship destroyed while farmers had to give up most of their harvest in taxes. This occupation of the Lantern Islands came to last for nearly two decades, but the measures put in place to strengthen Illa's regime would also come to be its downfall as overtaxation and raids on outlying farm settlements destroyed the local economy. An underground resistance formed with its base in the outer colonies and in 679, the Lanternese seized control of their islands after a decisive struggle against the Sea Peoples. A transitional government was put into place under resistance leader Aevin Civetta who implemented policies aimed at economic recovery after several years of wealth having been syphoned out of the country. Some liberties from the early colonial era were restored such as freedom of religion and the right to own land but an indefinite state of emergency was declared giving Civetta a wide range of powers under the pretenses of preventing another foreign invasion, essentially establishing a military dictatorship. Martial law wouldn't be suspended until 691 with the adoption of a new constitution affirming the sovereignty of the colonies around the Lantern Sea as a united East Owlian Republic. Aevin Civetta's popularity allowed his National Unity Party to win a majority of their own in the following Senate elections however, and his grip on power remained steady over the next decade. A series of trade and military expeditions in the Janubian region aimed at bringing it into the East Owlian sphere of influence culminated in the creation of the Alhadba protectorate in 696. The turn of the century saw East Owlia open up to the world with the reestablishment of trade links with the west and embassies opened as a far away as New Breshyu. Civetta was succeeded as first consul in 701 by his foreign affairs consul Alfonso Vungherese, whose government took the first step in forming a closer relationship with the emerging neighboring country of Ei̇́sarna who remain a favored trade partner to this day. As the personality cult around Civetta slowly began to fade, so did the National Unity Party's position as the dominant party in Senate. Three consecutive coalition governments including at one point or another everyone from social democrats to religious conservatives held political power during the years 708-722, a period often known as the reform era. Tripartisan compromises laid the foundations for introducing universal healthcare and implementing a rural development agenda which had doubled domestic food production by 720. The 720s in East Owlia were in turn marked by nationalist fervor and rising tensions with Ei̇́sarna, as the pillager rebellion faced by their western neighbors spilled across the border near Boscaiola and Elitre on several occasions. In response to this measures were taken to close the Cheridonian border and implement more restrictive immigration policies, which put a strain on the good relations between the two countries. A major event at the end of the decade was the 728 constitutional convention which replaced the parliamentary First Republic with a presidential Second Republic. This system was engineered by incumbent first consul Xristos Ferrari, whose term abruptly ended after losing the very first direct elections to the position in 729. The early 730s was a time of political stalemate and rising unemployment in the outer regions. When Roberto dall'Ecchia was elected first consul in 736, his socialist government initiated a major infrastructure program to combat this which culminated in the construction of the Trans-Marenostro Link, a highway system connecting the Lantern Islands, Elitre and Ei̇́sarna by road. The Alhadba protectorate was dissolved two years later in favor of closer integration with East Owlia, and the republic continued to expand throughout the 740s as the result of state-sponsored colonial ventures in Janubia and the Diorite Islands. Government and politics See also: List of East Owlian leaders East Owlian Senate The East Owlian Senate is a national legislature with roots dating back to the colonial assemblies of the early 7th century. It is a bicameral body with an elected lower house, the Chamber of Representatives, and an appointed upper house, the Chamber of Delegates. Senators of the lower house are elected to seven year terms, with seats allocated to the regions based on population, while senators of the upper house are appointed to rotating 14 year terms by the first consul. Former first consuls sit as senators for life in the Chamber of Delegates. Prior to the constitutional convention of 728, the Senate was a unicameral legislature. The positions of President and Vice President of the Senate were carried over from this era, with the former now being the presiding officer of the Chamber of Representatives and the latter holding an equivalent position in the Chamber of Delegates. There are 48 senators in the fourteenth and current legislative session of the East Owlian Senate, 33 in the Chamber of Representatives and 15 in the House of Delegates. The long form titles Senator Representative and Senator Delegate are often used to distinguish members of the lower and upper houses from one another. Parliamentary groups The political landscape in the Senate is dominated by three caucuses divided along ideological lines. These are parliamentary groups closely affiliated with but separate from East Owlia's major political parties. Representatives in the lower house are generally all elected on party lists, but many upper house senators are officially nonpartisan while still being members of a caucus. CoR-750.svg|'Chamber of Representatives' - Nationalist Caucus (17) - Democratic Caucus (7) - Socialist Caucus (7) - Green and Independent Caucus (2) CoD-750.svg|'Chamber of Delegates' - Democratic Caucus (8) - Nationalist Caucus (5) - Green and Independent Caucus (1) - Socialist Caucus (1) First Consul and the Cabinet The First Consul of the East Owlian Republic is the nation's head of state and head of government. They are elected directly by the people to serve a seven year term with no term limits. The first consul's responsibilities are to oversee the day-to-day executive functions and lead the cabinet, which is composed of the first consul and 11 department heads titled Consuls. While the government is no longer responsible to the Senate under the separation of powers introduced in the 728 constitution, cabinet appointments must be confirmed by the Chamber of Delegates. If a first consul were to die or become otherwise unable to carry out their duties, the constitution outlines a line of succession including the President of the Senate followed by the Vice President of the Senate. If the first consul is only temporarily incapacitated, a senior member of cabinet can assume the duties of Acting First Consul instead of triggering a formal succession. The incumbent first consul is Caterina Febbraio, who leads a government composed of consuls affiliated with the parties of the nationalist caucus. Administrative divisions The territories of the East Owlian Republic are divided into five regions with differing levels of autonomy. Local administration is the responsibility of a governor who is elected directly by the voters in each respective region, with the exception of the Diorite Islands which are administered directly by the central government under the Consulate for the Interior. Representation in the lower house of the Senate is based on the regions, with seats in the Chamber of Representatives allocated to each region based on their population in the most recent census held at least six months before an election. List of East Owlian regions Demographics Population The total resident population of East Owlia is 513,165 according to the most recent available census data. List of largest cities and towns in East Owlia Language Lanternese is the sole official language of the East Owlian Republic as well as the native language of a majority of the population. Three national minority languages are recognized by the government and hold protected status under East Owlian law: the Vicce language native to the swamplands of the Near East, the Janubic language spoken as a first language in Alhadba and by a notable diaspora in other regions, and Cheridonian, a South Pálowan dialect spoken in the western borderlands of Marenostro. An important second language in East Owlia is the Iotanian language, a lingua franca often used in contact with foreign traders from the west and for purposes of international diplomacy. Religion The third article of the East Owlian constitution guarantees freedom of religion for all citizens and forbids the Senate from passing laws hindering the establishment and free practice of religion in the republic. While East Owlia has no official state religion for this reason, the preamble of the constitution explicitly acknowledges the Zealot Church as an "institution of national importance" for its fundamental role in establishing the Tridente colony. An estimated 60% of East Owlians are followers of Zealotism, a religion which originated as a new branch of the majority church in Landing with an emphasis on sun worship and reincarnation of the soul which were considered heretic ideas in the west. Most Zealots in East Owlia are members of the East Owlian Zealot Church which has its seat at the Cathedral of Eternal Light in Tridente, but so called non-denominational churches can be found in most major cities while smaller churches like the Resplendent Temple and the Latter-Day Zealots have a noticeable following in certain parts of rural Marenostro. National symbols Flag The East Owlian flag, Il Tricolore, was introduced in the wake of the liberation of the Lantern Islands as a symbol of national unity as the colonies around the Lantern Sea began to form what is today's East Owlian Republic. It has not been ascertained exactly what the three colors of orange, white and gray represent but most theories allude to a meaning connected to light and the sun which rises in the east. National anthem Lux aeterna The first national anthem of the East Owlian Republic was [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9SY4o4wF_I Lux aeterna], an orchestral piece dedicated to the resilience of the East Owlian people. While the official version was largely instrumental, its initial lyrics come from an eponymous Zealot hymn which is often sung at Lanternese funerals to guide the soul of the deceased into their next life. These two lines have also been interpreted as a prayer for peace asking the sun to shine its eternal light on the Lantern Islands and bring an end to all suffering, referring to the reign of terror. The religious character of Lux aeterna had it face much criticism from left-wing and secularist groups until it was replaced as national anthem in the late 720s. Gloria The current national anthem Gloria was written in the late 7th century to celebrate the achievement of human flight brought about by the invention of elytra, and the technological revolution in East Owlia and the world that followed thereafter. It was first adopted in an official capacity as the anthem of the newly formed East Owlian Air Force in 701, but rose to national prominence in the wake of the constitutional convention of 728 when the nationalist majority in Senate pushed through a motion to introduce Gloria as a new, secular anthem for the East Owlian Republic. Category:Owlia